1. Field of the Invention
The claims of the present application generally relate to an image processing device, and more particularly, to a facsimile device for sending an image or images formed on an original document from one location to another by stationarily placing the original document on a document scanning plate of the facsimile device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, a facsimile device is of the type in which the transmission of an image or images that are formed on an original document is executed by moving the document with respect to an image sensing station and a plurality of documents are initially placed on a tray before the transmission. In this type of facsimile device, after one document has been transmitted, the next document is readily detected by hardware such as a switch, a photo-coupler or a similar device provided in a document path.
On the contrary, when a facsimile device if of the type in which the document is stationarily placed on a document scanning plate of the device during the transmission, the removal of one document which has already been transmitted, causes the next document to be placed on the document scanning plate for the transmission thereof. Because of this document placing process, it is difficult to detect the presence or absence of the next document. Therefore, any detecting process such as the aforementioned switch or a similar device is not usually provided in the facsimile device.
When the facsimile device does not send any transmission data for a predetermined period of time, a circuit for sending the data therethrough is generally cut off. Thereby, the circuit is occasionally cut off during the replacement of documents and, in the case where a plurality of documents are being transmitted, an operator inevitably needs to redial whenever the circuit is cut off.
Furthermore, in the image processing employed in the above described facsimile device, the amount of one scan is fixed to, for example, the length of A4 or B5-size paper in the hardware. Otherwise, the read amount for one scan of image data is limited by a mechanical stopper.
Accordingly, in conventional image processing when a certain desired length of the image is required to be read, the input of the image is stopped upon operation of a stop key or by the mechanical stopper. In either case, because the travel of an image reading sensor is hid by a document cover, the operator can not confirm the location of the image reading sensor to correctly identify the desired image of the document. Moreover, when the stop key is once depressed, the device is brought to a stop. As a result, when the same operation is required to be repeated, a start key should be depressed for every depression of the stop key. Therefore, the facsimile device employing the aforementioned image processing is disadvantageous because the operator must dial a plurality of times in a transmission process.